Method and communication device for transmitting and receiving camera data and sensor data

ABSTRACT

An embodiment of the present specification provides a TCU mounted in a vehicle. The TCU comprises: a plurality of transmission and reception units comprising one or more antennas; and a processor for controlling the plurality of transmission and reception units. The processor can carry out the steps of: receiving channel state information with respect to a wireless channel; determining a maximum data rate available for data transmission with respect to the base station; determining a data rate of at least one camera and a data rate of at least one sensor; and receiving camera data from the at least one camera and receiving sensor data from the at least one sensor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the National Stage filing under 35 U.S.C. 371 ofInternational Application No. PCT/KR2019/010900, filed on Aug. 27, 2019,the contents of which are all incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to mobile communication.

BACKGROUND

Thanks to the success of Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio AccessNetwork (E-UTRAN), that is, long term evolution (LTE)/LTE-Advanced(LTE-A) for 4G mobile communication, interest in next-generation, thatis, 5G (so-called 5G) mobile communication is increasing, and researchis being conducted one after another.

For the fifth generation (so-called 5G) mobile communication, a newradio access technology (New RAT or NR) has been studied. In particular,automotive driving is expected to become an important new driving forcefor 5G with various use cases of mobile communication for vehicles.

In the case of autonomous driving, where the server remotely controlsthe vehicle, it should take less than 5 msec, until the vehicletransmits data to the server, the vehicle receives control data fromthis server and the vehicle operates.

However, in the conventional cloud server-based network structure (eg,base station-wired network-cloud server), there is a problem that ittakes about 30-40 msec for operations that the base station transmitsthe data received from the vehicle to the cloud server, the cloud serveranalyzes the data in the cloud server, the cloud server transmits thedata to the base station, and the base station receives the data.

In order to improve the conventional network structure and achieveURLLC, ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) and 5GAAare discussing about Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC). However, therehas not been a method in which data transmission/reception between theMEC server and the TCU mounted on the vehicle can be performed quicklyand efficiently.

For example, the TCU receives camera data and sensor data from at leastone camera and sensor (eg, lidar sensor, radar sensor, etc.) mounted onthe vehicle, and transmits the received camera data and sensor data tothe MEC server. The MEC server may perform object detection for cameraand sensor data by using an autonomous driving algorithm such as a deeplearning algorithm. In addition, the MEC server may generate controldata for controlling the driving of the vehicle (including controlcommands for controlling the speed and direction of the vehicle) basedon the object detection result. At this time, in order to increase theaccuracy of object detection, automobile manufacturers are requestingthat the TCU transmit camera data and sensor data in high resolutionlike raw data. However, there has not been a method in which the TCUtransmits camera data in high resolution in consideration of theimportance of the camera and sensor mounted on the vehicle, the channelstate between the TCU and the base station, or the driving state of thevehicle.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, a disclosure of the present specification has been made inan effort to solve the aforementioned problem.

In order to achieve the above object, one disclosure of the presentspecification provides a TCU mounted on a vehicle. The TCU includes aplurality of transceivers including one or more antennas; and aprocessor for controlling the plurality of transceivers, wherein theprocessor controls the plurality of transceivers to perform: receivingchannel state information for a radio channel between the TCU and thebase station from the base station; determining a maximum data rateavailable for data transmission to the base station based on thereceived channel state information; determining a data rate of at leastone camera mounted on the vehicle and a data rate of at least one sensormounted on the vehicle, wherein the data rate of the at least one cameraand the data rate of the at least one sensor is determined based on apriority for the at least one camera and the at least one sensor and thedetermined maximum data rate; and controlling the plurality oftransceivers to receive camera data from the at least one camera basedon the data rate of the at least one camera, and sensor data from the atleast one sensor based on the data rate of the at least one sensor.

The processor may further perform a process of controlling the pluralityof transceivers to transmit the received camera data and the receivedsensor data to the base station.

The processor may further perform a process of controlling the pluralityof transceivers to transmit information on the data rate of the at leastone camera and the data rate of the at least one sensor to the basestation.

The processor may further perform a process of receiving, from the basestation, information on the data rate allocated to the TCU by amulti-access edge computing (MEC) server by controlling the plurality oftransceivers.

The processor is further configured to perform: adjusting the data rateof the at least one camera and the data rate of the at least one sensor,based on the priority of the at least one camera and the at least onesensor and the information on the data rate allocated to the TCU.

The at least one sensor may include at least one RADAR sensor and atleast one LIDAR sensor.

The processor may further perform a process of setting priorities forthe at least one camera and the at least one sensor based on the drivingspeed of the vehicle.

The processor may control the plurality of transceivers to transmit apilot signal to the base station, wherein the received channel stateinformation is generated by the MEC server based on the pilot signal.

To the vehicle, at least one of a Domain Control Unit (DCU), anElectronic Control Unit (ECU), a Local Interconnect Network (LIN)master, a LIN slave, a Media Oriented System Transport (MOST) master, aMOST slave, an Ethernet switch, a radar sensor, a lidar sensor, At leastone of a camera, audio, video, navigation (AVN), and rear sideentertainment (RSE) may be mounted.

The plurality of transceivers may include a long term evolution (LTE)transceiver, a 5G transceiver, and a Wi-Fi transceiver.

In order to achieve the above object, one disclosure of the presentspecification provides a server for controlling a TelematicsCommunication Unit (TCU) mounted on a vehicle in a next-generationmobile communication system. The server includes a transceiver; and aprocessor for controlling the transceiver, wherein the processor isconfigured to perform: receiving a pilot signal transmitted by the TCUto a base station from a mobile communication network including the basestation; determining status information on a radio channel between theTCU and the base station based on the received pilot signal;transmitting status information on the determined radio channel to themobile communication network including the base station; receivingcamera data and sensor data transmitted by the TCU from the mobilecommunication network including the base station; and generating controldata for controlling driving of the vehicle based on the camera data andthe sensor data.

The processor may further perform a process of transmitting thegenerated control data to the TCU through the mobile communicationnetwork including the base station.

The processor may further perform a process of receiving information ona data rate of at least one camera mounted on the vehicle and a datarate of at least one sensor mounted on the vehicle.

The processor may further perform a process of allocating a data rate tothe TCU based on a sum of the data rate of the at least one camera andthe data rate of the at least one sensor.

The processor may further perform a process of controlling thetransceiver to transmit information on the data rate allocated to theTCU to the TCU through the mobile communication network including thebase station.

The server may be a multi-access edge computing (MEC) server.

According to the disclosure of the present specification, the existingproblems are solved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example of a 5G usage scenario.

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a next-generation mobile communicationnetwork.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an expected structure of anext-generation mobile communication network from the viewpoint of anode.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an architecture forsupporting simultaneous access to two data networks.

FIG. 5 is another exemplary diagram showing a structure of a radiointerface protocol between a UE and a gNB.

FIGS. 6 a to 6 d show an example implementation of the MEC server.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the MEC server remotely controls thevehicle.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an MEC server andan example of a TCU according to the disclosure of the presentspecification.

FIG. 9 shows an example of operation of a TCU according to thedisclosure of the present specification.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the operation of the MEC server according tothe disclosure of the present specification.

FIG. 11 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of theoperation of the TCU, the MEC server, and the mobile communicationnetwork according to the disclosure of the present specification.

FIGS. 12 a and 12 b are flowcharts illustrating an example of S1105 ofFIG. 11 .

FIG. 13 a is an example of a table showing data rates according topriorities, categories, and categories of cameras and sensors mounted ona vehicle.

FIG. 13 b is an example in which the TCU adjusts the data rate of thetable of FIG. 13 a according to S1208 of FIG. 12 b.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation performedby the MEC server after performing S1103 of FIG. 11 .

FIG. 15 is a configuration block diagram of an MEC server and a TCUaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating in detail the configuration of aTCU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, it is described that the present disclosure is appliedbased on 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 3GPP long termevolution (LTE), 3GPP LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), Wi-Fi or 3GPP NR (New RAT,that is, 5G) do. This is merely an example, and the present disclosurecan be applied to various wireless communication systems. Hereinafter,LTE includes LTE and/or LTE-A.

The technical terms used herein are used to merely describe specificembodiments and should not be construed as limiting the presentspecification. Further, the technical terms used herein should be,unless defined otherwise, interpreted as having meanings generallyunderstood by those skilled in the art but not too broadly or toonarrowly. Further, the technical terms used herein, which are determinednot to exactly represent the spirit of the specification, should bereplaced by or understood by such technical terms as being able to beexactly understood by those skilled in the art. Further, the generalterms used herein should be interpreted in the context as defined in thedictionary, but not in an excessively narrowed manner.

The expression of the singular number in the present specificationincludes the meaning of the plural number unless the meaning of thesingular number is definitely different from that of the plural numberin the context. In the following description, the term ‘include’ or‘have’ may represent the existence of a feature, a number, a step, anoperation, a component, a part or the combination thereof described inthe present specification, and may not exclude the existence or additionof another feature, another number, another step, another operation,another component, another part or the combination thereof.

The terms ‘first’ and ‘second’ are used for the purpose of explanationabout various components, and the components are not limited to theterms ‘first’ and ‘second’. The terms ‘first’ and ‘second’ are only usedto distinguish one component from another component. For example, afirst component may be named as a second component without deviatingfrom the scope of the present specification.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it can bedirectly connected or coupled to the other element or layer orintervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when anelement is referred to as being “directly connected to” or “directlycoupled to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elementsor layers present.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present specification will bedescribed in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.In describing the present specification, for ease of understanding, thesame reference numerals are used to denote the same componentsthroughout the drawings, and repetitive description on the samecomponents will be omitted. Detailed description on well-known artswhich are determined to make the gist of the specification unclear willbe omitted. The accompanying drawings are provided to merely make thespirit of the specification readily understood, but not should beintended to be limiting of the specification. It should be understoodthat the spirit of the specification may be expanded to itsmodifications, replacements or equivalents in addition to what is shownin the drawings.

A base station, a term used below, generally refers to a fixed stationthat communicates with a wireless device, and may be called other termssuch as an evolved-NodeB (eNodeB), an evolved-NodeB (eNB), a BTS (BaseTransceiver System), an access point (Access Point) and gNB (Nextgeneration NodeB).

And, hereinafter, the term UE (User Equipment) used may be fixed ormobile, and may include a device, a wireless device, a wirelesscommunication device, a terminal, and an MS (mobile station), UT (userterminal), SS (subscriber station), MT (mobile terminal), etc may becalled as other terms.

FIG. 1 Shows an Example of a 5G Usage Scenario.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a 5G usage scenario to which the technicalfeatures of the present disclosure can be applied. The 5G usage scenarioshown in FIG. 1 is merely exemplary, and the technical features of thepresent disclosure can be applied to other 5G usage scenarios not shownin FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , the three main requirements areas of 5G are (1)enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) domain, (2) massive machine typecommunication (mMTC) area domain and (3) includes ultra-reliable and lowlatency communications (URLLC) domains. Some use cases may requiremultiple domains for optimization, while other use cases may focus ononly one key performance indicator (KPI). 5G supports these various usecases in a flexible and reliable way.

eMBB focuses on overall improvements in data rates, latency, userdensity, capacity and coverage of mobile broadband connections. eMBBaims for a throughput of around 10 Gbps. eMBB goes far beyond basicmobile Internet access, covering rich interactive work, media andentertainment applications in the cloud or augmented reality. Data isone of the key drivers of 5G, and for the first time in the 5G era, wemay not see dedicated voice services. In 5G, voice is simply expected tobe processed as an application using the data connection provided by thecommunication system. The main reasons for the increased amount oftraffic are the increase in content size and the increase in the numberof applications requiring high data rates. Streaming services (audio andvideo), interactive video and mobile Internet connections will becomemore widely used as more devices connect to the Internet. Many of theseapplications require always-on connectivity to push real-timeinformation and notifications to users. Cloud storage and applicationsare growing rapidly in mobile communication platforms, which can beapplied to both work and entertainment. Cloud storage is a special usecase that drives the growth of uplink data rates. 5G is also used forremote work in the cloud, requiring much lower end-to-end latency tomaintain a good user experience when tactile interfaces are used. Inentertainment, for example, cloud gaming and video streaming are anotherkey factor increasing the demand for mobile broadband capabilities.Entertainment is essential on smartphones and tablets anywhere,including in high-mobility environments such as trains, cars andairplanes. Another use example is augmented reality for entertainmentand information retrieval. Here, augmented reality requires very lowlatency and instantaneous amount of data.

mMTC is designed to enable communication between a large number oflow-cost devices powered by batteries and is intended to supportapplications such as smart metering, logistics, field and body sensors.mMTC is targeting a battery life of 10 years or so and/or a milliondevices per square kilometer. mMTC enables seamless connectivity ofembedded sensors in all fields and is one of the most anticipated 5G usecases. Potentially, by 2020, there will be 20.4 billion IoT devices.Industrial IoT is one of the areas where 5G will play a major role inenabling smart cities, asset tracking, smart utilities, agriculture andsecurity infrastructure.

URLLC is ideal for vehicular communications, industrial control, factoryautomation, telesurgery, smart grid, and public safety applications byallowing devices and machines to communicate very reliably, with verylow latency and with high availability. URLLC aims for a delay on theorder of 1 ms. URLLC includes new services that will transform theindustry through ultra-reliable/low-latency links such as remote controlof critical infrastructure and autonomous vehicles. This level ofreliability and latency is essential for smart grid control, industrialautomation, robotics, and drone control and coordination.

Next, a plurality of usage examples included in the triangle of FIG. 1will be described in more detail.

5G could complement fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and cable-based broadband(or DOCSIS) as a means of delivering streams rated at hundreds ofmegabits per second to gigabits per second. Such high speed may berequired to deliver TVs with resolutions of 4K or higher (6K, 8K andhigher) as well as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). VRand AR applications almost include immersive sports events. Certainapplications may require special network settings. For VR games, forexample, game companies may need to integrate core servers with networkoperators' edge network servers to minimize latency.

Smart cities and smart homes, referred to as smart societies, will beembedded with high-density wireless sensor networks. A distributednetwork of intelligent sensors will identify conditions for keeping acity or house cost- and energy-efficient. A similar setup can beperformed for each household. Temperature sensors, window and heatingcontrollers, burglar alarms and appliances are all connected wirelessly.Many of these sensors typically require low data rates, low power andlow cost. However, for example, real-time HD video may be required incertain types of devices for surveillance.

The consumption and distribution of energy, including heat or gas, ishighly decentralized, requiring automated control of distributed sensornetworks. Smart grids use digital information and communicationtechnologies to interconnect these sensors to collect information andact on it. This information can include supplier and consumer behavior,enabling smart grids to improve efficiency, reliability, economics,sustainability of production and distribution of fuels such aselectricity in an automated manner. The smart grid can also be viewed asanother low-latency sensor network.

The health sector has many applications that can benefit from mobilecommunications. The communication system may support telemedicineproviding clinical care from a remote location. This can help reducebarriers to distance and improve access to consistently unavailablehealth care services in remote rural areas. It is also used to savelives in critical care and emergency situations. A wireless sensornetwork based on mobile communication may provide remote monitoring andsensors for parameters such as heart rate and blood pressure.

Wireless and mobile communications are becoming increasingly importantin industrial applications. Wiring is expensive to install and maintain.Thus, the possibility of replacing cables with reconfigurable radiolinks is an attractive opportunity for many industries. Achieving this,however, requires that wireless connections operate with cable-likedelays, reliability and capacity, and that their management issimplified. Low latency and very low error probability are newrequirements that need to be connected with 5G.

Logistics and freight tracking are important use cases for mobilecommunications that use location-based information systems to enabletracking of inventory and packages from anywhere. Logistics and freighttracking use cases typically require low data rates but require widerange and reliable location information.

In particular, automotive is expected to become an important new drivingforce for 5G with many use cases for mobile communication to vehicles.For example, entertainment for passengers requires both high capacityand high mobile broadband. The reason is that future users continue toexpect high-quality connections regardless of their location and speed.Another example of use in the automotive sector is augmented realitydashboards. The augmented reality contrast board allows drivers toidentify objects in the dark above what they are seeing through thefront window. The augmented reality dashboard displays information toinform the driver about the distance and movement of objects bysuperimposing the information on the front window. In the future,wireless modules will enable communication between vehicles, informationexchange between vehicles and supporting infrastructure, and informationexchange between vehicles and other connected devices (eg, devicescarried by pedestrians). Safety systems can lower the risk of accidentsby guiding drivers through alternative courses of action to help themdrive safer. The next step will be remote-controlled vehicles orautonomous vehicles. This requires very reliable and very fastcommunication between different autonomous vehicles and/or betweenvehicles and infrastructure. In the future, autonomous vehicles willperform all driving activities, allowing drivers to focus only ontraffic anomalies that the vehicle itself cannot identify. Thetechnological requirements of autonomous vehicles require ultra-lowlatency and ultra-fast reliability to increase traffic safety tounattainable levels for humans.

FIG. 2 is a Structural Diagram of a Next-Generation Mobile CommunicationNetwork.

A next-generation mobile communication network (5G System) may includevarious components, and in FIG. 2 , AMF (Access and Mobility ManagementFunction) 51 and SMF (session management function), Session ManagementFunction (52), PCF (Policy Control Function) (53), AF (ApplicationFunction: Application Function) (55), N3IWF (Non-3GPP InterworkingFunction: Non-3GPP Interworking Function) 59, a UPF (User PlaneFunction) 54, a UDM (Unified Data Management), and data network 56corresponding to some of the various components are shown.

The UE 10 is connected to the data network 60 via the UPF 55 through aNext Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) including the gNB 20.

The UE 10 may be provided with a data service even through untrustednon-3GPP access, e.g., a wireless local area network (WLAN). In order toconnect the non-3GPP access to a core network, the N3IWF 59 may bedeployed.

The illustrated N3IWF performs a function of managing interworkingbetween the non-3GPP access and the 5G system. When the UE 10 isconnected to non-3GPP access (e.g., WiFi referred to as IEEE 801.11),the UE 10 may be connected to the 5G system through the N3IWF. The N3IWFperforms control signaling with the AMF and is connected to the UPFthrough an N3 interface for data transmission.

The illustrated AMF may manage access and mobility in the 5G system. TheAMF may perform a function of managing Non-Access Stratum (NAS)security. The AMF may perform a function of handling mobility in an idlestate.

The illustrated UPF is a type of gateway through which user data istransmitted/received. The UPF may perform the entirety or a portion of auser plane function of a serving gateway (S-GW) and a packet datanetwork gateway (P-GW) of 4G mobile communication.

The UPF operates as a boundary point between a next generation radioaccess network (NG-RAN) and the core network and maintains a data pathbetween the gNB 20 and the SMF. In addition, when the UE 10 moves overan area served by the gNB 20, the UPF serves as a mobility anchor point.The UPF may perform a function of handling a PDU. For mobility withinthe NG-RAN (which is defined after 3GPP Release-15), the UPF may routepackets. In addition, the UPF may also serve as an anchor point formobility with another 3GPP network (RAN defined before 3GPP Release-15,e.g., universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrialradio access network (UTRAN), evolved (E)-UTRAN or global system formobile communication (GERAN)/enhanced data rates for global evolution(EDGE) RAN. The UPF may correspond to a termination point of a datainterface toward the data network.

The illustrated PCF is a node that controls an operator's policy.

The illustrated AF is a server for providing various services to the UE10.

The illustrated UDM is a kind of server that manages subscriberinformation, such as home subscriber server (HSS) of 4G mobilecommunication. The UDM stores and manages the subscriber information ina unified data repository (UDR).

The illustrated SMF may perform a function of allocating an Internetprotocol (IP) address of the UE. In addition, the SMF may control aprotocol data unit (PDU) session.

FIG. 3 is an Exemplary Diagram Illustrating an Expected Structure of aNext-Generation Mobile Communication Network from the Viewpoint of aNode.

As can be seen with reference to FIG. 3 , the UE is connected to a datanetwork (DN) through a next-generation RAN (Radio Access Network).

The illustrated control plane function (CPF) node performs all or partof the functions of the Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the 4thgeneration mobile communication, and all or part of the control planefunctions of the Serving Gateway (S-GW) and all or part of the controlplane functions of the PDN Gateway (P-GW). The CPF node includes an AMFand an SMF.

The illustrated Authentication Server Function (AUSF) authenticates andmanages the UE.

The illustrated network slice selection function (Network SliceSelection Function: NSSF) is a node for network slicing introduced in5G.

The illustrated Network Exposure Function (NEF) is a node for providinga mechanism for securely exposing the services and functions of the 5Gcore. For example, NEF may expose functions and events, securely provideinformation from external applications to the 3GPP network, translateinternal/external information, provides control plane parameters, andmanage packet flow description (PFD).

In FIG. 4 , a UE may simultaneously access two data networks usingmultiple protocol data unit (PDU) sessions.

FIG. 4 is an Exemplary Diagram Illustrating an Architecture forSupporting Simultaneous Access to Two Data Networks.

FIG. 4 Shows an Architecture for a UE to Simultaneously Access Two DataNetworks Using One PDU Session.

For reference, a description of the reference point shown in FIGS. 2 to4 is as follows.

-   -   N1: Reference point between UE and AMF    -   N2: Reference point between NG-RAN and AMF    -   N3: Reference point between NG-RAN and UPF    -   N4: Reference point between SMF and UPF    -   N5: Reference point between PCF and AF    -   N6: Reference point between UPF and DN    -   N7: Reference point between SMF and PCF    -   N8: Reference point between UDM and AMF    -   N10: Reference point between UDM and SMF    -   N11: Reference point between AMF and SMF    -   N12: Reference point between AMF and AUSF    -   N13: Reference point between UDM and AUSF    -   N15: In a non-roaming scenario, a reference point between the        PCF and the AMF. In a roaming scenario, the reference point        between the AMF and the PCF of the visited network    -   N22: Reference point between AMF and NSSF    -   N30: Reference point between PCF and NEF    -   N33: Reference point between AF and NEF

In FIGS. 3 and 4 , the AF by a third party other than the operator maybe connected to the 5GC through the NEF.

FIG. 5 is Another Exemplary Diagram Showing a Structure of a RadioInterface Protocol Between a UE and a gNB.

The radio interface protocol is based on the 3GPP radio access networkstandard. The radio interface protocol is horizontally composed of aphysical layer, a data link layer, and a network layer, and isvertically divided into a user plane for transmission of datainformation and a control plane for transfer of control signal(signaling).

The protocol layers may be divided into L1 (first layer), L2 (secondlayer), and L3 layer (third layer) based on the lower three layers ofthe open system interconnection (OSI) reference model widely known incommunication systems.

Hereinafter, each layer of the radio protocol will be described.

The first layer, the physical layer, provides an information transferservice using a physical channel. The physical layer is connected to anupper medium access control layer through a transport channel, and databetween the medium access control layer and the physical layer istransmitted through the transport channel. In addition, data istransmitted between different physical layers, that is, between thephysical layers of a transmitting side and a receiving side through aphysical channel.

The second layer includes a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radiolink control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP)layer.

The third layer includes radio resource control (hereinafter abbreviatedas RRC). The RRC layer is defined only in the control plane and is incharge of control of logical channels, transport channels, and physicalchannels related to configuration, reconfiguration and release of radiobearers. In this case, RB refers to a service provided by the secondlayer for data transfer between the UE and the E-UTRAN.

The NAS layer performs functions such as connection management (sessionmanagement) and mobility management.

The NAS layer is divided into a NAS entity for mobility management (MM)and a NAS entity for session management (SM).

1) NAS entity for MM provides the following functions in general.

NAS procedures related to AMF include the following.

-   -   Registration management and access management procedures. AMF        supports the following functions.    -   Secure NAS signal connection between UE and AMF (integrity        protection, encryption)

2) The NAS entity for SM performs session management between the UE andthe SMF.

The SM signaling message is processed, that is, generated and processed,at an NAS-SM layer of the UE and SMF. The contents of the SM signalingmessage are not interpreted by the AMF.

-   -   In the case of SM signaling transmission,    -   The NAS entity for the MM creates a NAS-MM message that derives        how and where to deliver an SM signaling message through a        security header representing the NAS transmission of SM        signaling and additional information on a received NAS-MM.    -   Upon receiving SM signaling, the NAS entity for the SM performs        an integrity check of the NAS-MM message, analyzes additional        information, and derives a method and place to derive the SM        signaling message.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 5 , the RRC layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, andthe PHY layer located below the NAS layer are collectively referred toas an access stratum (AS).

On the other hand, in order to achieve the URLLC stipulated in 5GAA (5GAutomotive Association) and 5G, it should take less than 5 msec for theserver to receive vehicle status information from the vehicle and thevehicle to receive control data from the server and the vehicle tooperate. That is, operations that the cloud server to collect in-vehiclesensor data, and after analysis is completed, the cloud server totransmit a control command to the TCU (Telematics Communication Unit),and the TCU to deliver it to the target ECU (Electronic Control Unit)must be completed within 5 msec.

In the conventional cloud server-based network structure (eg, basestation-wired network-cloud server), it takes about 30-40 msec foroperations that data is transmitted from the base station to the cloudserver, the cloud server analyzes the data to transmit the data to thebase station, and the base station receives it.

To achieve ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), theEuropean Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and 5GAA arediscussing Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC).

<Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC)>

MEC is a network architecture that enables cloud computing capabilitiesand IT service environments at the edge of a cellular network(typically, the edge of any network). The basic idea of MEC is to runapplications (applications) and perform processing tasks related to thecellular customer, thereby reducing network congestion and makingapplications better. MEC technology is designed to be implemented in acellular base station or other edge node. MEC technology may rapidly andflexibly deploy new applications and new services for customers. MECenables cellular operators to open a Radio Access network (RAN) toauthorized third parties such as application developers and contentproviders.

The MEC server described in this specification refers to a communicationdevice that provides a cloud computing function or an IT serviceenvironment at the edge of a network.

FIGS. 6 a to 6 d Show an Example Implementation of the MEC Server.

The user plane function (UPF) node 630 of FIGS. 6 a to 6 d is a type ofgateway through which user data is transmitted and received. The UPFnode 630 may perform all or part of the user plane functions of aserving-gateway (S-GW) and a packet data network-gateway (P-GW) of 4Gmobile communication. The core network 640 may be an Evolved Packet Core(EPC) or a 5G Core Network (5GC). N3 is a reference point between the(R)AN and the UPF node 630. N6 is a reference point between the UPF node630 and the data network. The base station 620 may be a 5G base station(gNB) or an LTE base station (eNB). The base station 620 may be a basestation including both a gNB and an eNB.

The AMF 650 is an Access and Mobility Management Function, and is aControl Plane Function (CPF) for managing access and mobility. The SMF660 is a Session Management Function and is a control plane function formanaging data sessions such as PDU (Protocol Data Unit) sessions.

Logically, the MEC server (MEC host) 610 may be implemented in an edgeor central data network. The UPF may perform a role to coordinate userplane (UP) traffic to a target MEC application (application in the MECserver 610) of the data network. The location of the data network andUPF can be selected by the network operator. Network operators maydeploy physical computing resources based on technical and businessvariables such as available facilities, supported applications andapplication requirements, measured or estimated user loads, and thelike. The MEC management system may dynamically determine a location todeploy the MEC application by coordinating the operation of the MECserver 610 (MEC host) and the application.

FIG. 6 a is an implementation example in which the MEC server 610 andthe UPF node 630 are deployed together with the base station 620. FIG. 6b is an example implementation in which the MEC server 610 is co-locatedwith a transmitting node (eg, UPF node 630). In FIG. 6 b , the corenetwork 640 may communicate with the UPF node 630 and the MEC server 610through a network aggregation point. FIG. 6 c is an exampleimplementation in which the MEC server 610 and the UPF node 630 aredeployed together with a network aggregation point. FIG. 6 d is anexample implementation in which the MEC server 610 is deployed with corenetwork 640 functions. In FIG. 6 d , the MEC server 610 may be deployedin the same data center as the core network 640 functions.

Disclosure of the Present Specification

FIG. 7 Shows an Example in which the MEC Server Remotely Controls theVehicle.

Referring to FIG. 7 , an MEC server 610, a base station 620, andvehicles 660 a to 660 c are shown. The base station 620 may be a gNB oran eNB. The base station 620 may be a base station including both a gNBand an eNB. The MEC server 610 may be connected to the base station 620through wired communication or wireless communication. The MEC server610 may transmit data to or receive data from the base station 620.Although the figure shows that the MEC server 610 and the base station620 are directly connected, this is only an example, and the MEC server610 may be connected to the base station 620 through another networknode. The base station 620 may transmit/receive data to and from aTelematics Communication Unit (TCU) mounted in the vehicles 660 a to 660c.

The TCU may obtain status information from devices mounted on thevehicles 660 a to 660 c, and the status information may include varioussensor data, video data, and the like. The TCU may transmit stateinformation (or vehicle-related information including the stateinformation) to the base station 620, and the base station 620 maytransmit the state information to the MEC server 610. Then, the MECserver 610 may transmit data for controlling the vehicles 660 a to 660 cto the base station 620 based on the state information. When the basestation 620 transmits data for controlling the vehicles 660 a to 660 cto the TCU, the TCU may control the vehicles 660 a to 660 c bytransmitting the received data to devices mounted on the vehicles 660 ato 660 c. Then, the MEC server 610 may transmit map information to thebase station 620, and the base station 620 may transmit it to the TCU.The TCU may control the vehicles 660 a to 660 c using the mapinformation.

A TCU mounted on the MEC server 610 and the vehicles 660 a to 660 c willbe described in detail with reference to FIG. 8 .

FIG. 8 is a Block Diagram Illustrating an Example of an MEC Server andan Example of a TCU According to the Disclosure of the PresentSpecification.

The MEC server is the MEC server 610 described with reference to FIGS. 6a to 6 d and 7, and will be described below by omitting referencenumerals. The TCU 100 is a TCU mounted on the vehicles 660 a to 660 cdescribed with reference to FIG. 7 , and will be described below byomitting reference numerals.

The MEC server may be implemented as in the examples described withreference to FIGS. 6 a to 6 d . Although it is illustrated in FIG. 8that the MEC server directly communicates with the base stations, thisis only an example, and the MEC server may communicate with the basestations through another network node (eg, a UPF node). The MEC servermay include a processor (not shown) and a memory (not shown). The memorycan store the MEC server app. The processor may perform the operationsdescribed in the disclosure of this specification by using the MECserver app stored in the memory. MEC server app is, for example, VR/ARapp, camera data analysis app, sensor data analysis app (including lidarsensor data analysis app and radar sensor data analysis app), engine ECUdata analysis app, speed ECU data analysis app, HVAC ECU data analysisapp, an ECU control app, a control command sending app, a baseball app,a golf app, and the like.

A 5G base station (sub6 GHz) is a base station that performscommunication based on the 5G standard in the FR1 (Frequency Range 1)band (frequency band below 7125 MHz). A 5G base station (mmWave) is abase station that performs communication based on the 5G standard in theFR2 (Frequency Range 2) band (frequency band of 24250-52600 MHz). TheLTE base station is a base station that performs communication based onthe LTE standard. A Wi-Fi base station is a base station that performscommunication based on the Wi-Fi standard. The MEC server maycommunicate with the TCU using at least one of a 5G base station (sub6GHz), a 5G base station (mmWave), an LTE base station, and a Wi-Fi basestation.

The TCU may include an LTE module, a 5G module (sub6 GHz), a 5G module(mmWave), a WiFi module, a processor and a memory. The LTE module is acommunication module (ie, a transceiver) that performs communication(transmission/reception of data) based on the LTE standard. The 5Gmodule (sub6 GHz) is a communication module (ie, a transceiver) thatperforms communication (transmission/reception of data) based on the 5Gstandard in the FR 1 band. The 5G module (mmWave) is a communicationmodule (ie, transceiver) that performs communication (transmission andreception of data) based on the 5G standard in the FR 2 band. The WiFimodule is a communication module (ie, a transceiver) that performscommunication (transmission and reception of data) based on the WiFistandard. The LTE module, 5G module (sub6 GHz), 5G module (mmWave) andWiFi module can be connected with the processor through an interfacesuch as PCIe (PCI express). In addition, although the LTE module, 5Gmodule (sub6 GHz), 5G module (mmWave), and WiFi module are each shown asseparate objects, but one communication module may perform functions ofthe LTE module, 5G module (sub6 GHz), 5G module (mmWave) and WiFimodule.

The processor of TCU is connected with LTE/5G module (sub6 GHz), LTE/5Gmodule (mmWave), WiFi module and memory. The memory may store MEC clientapps. The processor may receive data transmitted by base stations orterminals (terminal 1 and terminal 2) using an LTE module, a 5G module(sub6 GHz), a 5G module (mmWave), and a WiFi module. The processor maytransmit data to base stations or terminals (terminal 1 and terminal 2)using an LTE module, a 5G module (sub6 GHz), a 5G module (mmWave), and aWiFi module. Here, the terminals (terminal 1 and terminal 2) may bewireless communication devices used by a user in a vehicle. In addition,the processor of the TCU may perform the operations described in thedisclosure of this specification by using the MEC client app stored inthe memory.

The processor of the TCU may be connected to devices mounted on thevehicle. For example, the processor may be connected to a Domain ControlUnit (DCU), a Local Interconnect Network (LIN) master, a Media OrientedSystem Transport (MOST) master, and an Ethernet switch. The processor ofthe TCU may communicate with the DCU using CAN (Controller Area Network)communication technology. The processor of the TCU can communicate withthe LIN master using LIN (Local Interconnect Network) communicationtechnology. The processor of the TCU can communicate with the MOSTmaster connected by fiber optics using MOST communication technology.The processor of the TCU can communicate with the Ethernet switch anddevices connected to the Ethernet switch using Ethernet communicationtechnology.

The DCU is a device that controls a plurality of ECUs. The DCU cancommunicate with a plurality of ECUs using CAN communication technology.Here, CAN is a standard communication technology designed formicrocontrollers or devices to communicate with each other in a vehicle.CAN is a non-host bus type, message-based network protocol mainly usedfor communication between controllers.

The DCU may communicate with an ECU such as an engine ECU that controlsthe engine, a brake ECU that controls brakes, and an HVAC ECU thatcontrols a heating, ventilation, & air conditioning (HVAC) device, etc.The DCU can transmit data received from the processor of the TCU to eachECU. In addition, the DCU can transmit the data received from each ECUto the processor of the TCU.

The LIN master may communicate with LIN slaves (LIN Slave #1 and LINSlave #2) using LIN communication technology. For example, LIN Slave #1may be a slave that controls one of a steering wheel, a roof top, adoor, a seat, and a small motor. Here, LIN is a serial communicationtechnology for communication between components in an automobilenetwork. The LIN master may receive data from the processor of the TCUand transmit it to the LIN slaves (LIN Slave #1 and LIN Slave #2). Inaddition, the LIN master may transmit data received from the LIN slavesto the processor of the TCU.

The MOST master may communicate with the MOST slaves (MOST Slave #1 andMOST Slave #2) using MOST communication technology. Here, MOST is aserial communication technology that transmits audio, video, and controlinformation using an optical cable. The MOST master may transmit datareceived from the processor of the TCU to the MOST slaves. Also, theMOST master can transmit data received from the MOST slaves to theprocessor of the TCU.

Ethernet is a computer networking technology used in local area networks(LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN), and wide area networks (WAN).The processor of the TCU can transmit data to each device through anEthernet switch using Ethernet communication technology. Each device cantransmit data to the processor of the TCU through an Ethernet switchusing Ethernet communication technology.

Radar (radio detection and ranging) is a technology for measuring thedistance, direction, angle, and velocity of a target using radio waves.The radar sensors 1 to 5 are provided in the vehicle to measure thedistance, direction, angle, and speed of objects around the vehicle. Theradar sensors 1 to 5 may transmit the measured sensor data to theprocessor of the TCU.

LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is a sensing technology that uses alight source and a receiver to detect a remote object and measure adistance. Specifically, lidar is a technology that measures thedistance, intensity, speed, etc. to the target by illuminating thetarget with pulsed laser light and measuring the pulse reflected by thesensor. The lidar sensors 1 to 5 measure the distance to the target,speed, and the like. The lidar sensors 1 to 5 may transmit the measuredsensor data to the processor of the TCU.

For reference, although radar sensors and lidar sensors are illustratedin FIG. 8 as using Ethernet communication technology, the radar sensorsand lidar sensors may also use CAN communication technology.

AVN (Audio, Video, Navigation) is a device provided in a vehicle toprovide sound, video, and navigation. AVN may receive data from theprocessor of the TCU using Ethernet communication technology, andprovide sound, image, and navigation based on the received data. AVN cantransmit data to the processor of the TCU using Ethernet communicationtechnology.

The camera (front) and the camera (rear) can capture images from thefront and rear of the vehicle. Although it is illustrated in FIG. 8 thatthere is one camera in the front and one in the rear, this is only anexample, and cameras may be provided on the left and right sides. Inaddition, a plurality of cameras may be provided in each of the frontand rear. The cameras may transmit camera data to, and receive datafrom, the processor of the TCU using Ethernet communication technology.

Rear Side Entertainment (RSE) means rear seat entertainment. RSE is adevice installed behind the passenger seat or behind the driver's seatof a vehicle to provide entertainment to the occupants. A tablet mayalso be provided inside the vehicle. The RSE or tablet may receive datafrom the processor of the TCU and transmit the data to the processor ofthe TCU using Ethernet communication technology.

In the conventional cloud server-based network structure (eg, basestation-wired network-cloud server), it takes about 30-40 msec for thatdata is transmitted from the base station to the cloud server, the cloudserver analyzes the data to transmit the data to the base station, andthe base station receives it.

Specifically, a person remotely controls a vehicle through aconventional cloud server (Remote Driving Control), or a conventionalcloud server analyzes data of the vehicle's front camera/rearcamera/various sensors and mounted on the vehicle's ECU, etc, and theconventional cloud server can remotely control devices. At this time, ifthe device mounted on the vehicle or the user's terminal is using ahigh-capacity real-time data service (multimedia data such as VR/AR, 8Kvideo streaming, etc.), the possibility of an accident may increasebecause the operation (brake/speed/direction control, etc.) to controlthe vehicle by transmitting the remote control data to the devicesmounted on the vehicle within 5 msec cannot be performed.

The MEC server according to the disclosure of the present specificationcan perform a function of receiving/storing/transmitting/analyzingvarious data such as video (camera)/audio/sensor data performed in aconventional cloud server, and a function of managing the TCU anddevices mounted on the vehicle.

In the MEC server according to the disclosure of the presentspecification, there may be an MEC server application (MEC server app)for performing operations according to various purposes. The MEC servermay perform the operations described in the disclosure of thisspecification by using the MEC server application.

In addition, in the TCU according to the disclosure of the presentspecification, there may be an MEC client application (MEC client app)for performing operations according to various purposes. The TCU may usethe MEC client application to perform the operations described in thedisclosure of this specification.

The operations of the MEC server, the mobile communication network, andthe TCU to be described in the disclosure of the present specificationare briefly described below. However, the following description ismerely an example, and operations of the MEC server, the mobilecommunication network, and the TCU will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 9 to 16 .

The MEC server monitors the operation of the TCU and ECU in the vehicleto comply with regulations such as the Road Traffic Act, ISO26262(Standard related to industrial safety, Road vehicles—Functional safety)or SAE (System Architecture Evolution) standards. If the operation ofthe TCU and the ECU in the vehicle violates regulations, the MEC servercontrols the operation of the ECU in the vehicle based on a predefinedscenario.

The MEC server may analyzes vehicle-related information (eg, the statusinformation of devices installed in the vehicle such as engineECU-related data, RPM (revolutions per minute) ECU-related data,wheel-related data, brake-related data, HVAC (heating, ventilation & airconditioning) related data, etc) received from the TCU in the vehicle,and controls the operation of devices in the vehicle connected to theTCU based on a predefined operation scenario.

When the MEC server transmits control data for a plurality of targetdevices in the vehicle at once, the TCU may transmit data frames, whichis based on a plurality of communication technologies(CAN/LIN/Flexray/MOST/Ethernet), by combining the data frames in onemessage. in order to efficiently transmit control data to the pluralityof target devices. The TCU may transmit a data frame based on eachcommunication technology to a target device in the vehicle (eg, acontroller/master such as ECU, a LIN master). The TCU transmits theexecution result of the control data provided from the MEC server to theMEC server, and the MEC server can determine the failure/success of thecontrol data transmission (FAIL/SUCCESS).

If the result of the target device (the device that will receive thedata sent by the MEC server) executing the control data (sent by the MECserver) is FAIL or there is a delay in the target device, the MEC servermay retransmit the same control data for a predetermined number of times(eg, 10). In this case, the MEC server may retransmit the control datausing the beam having the highest data rate.

To secure safety, the MEC server may retransmit the same control commandby selecting at least one beam of the beams with the highest data rateamong the beams of the 5G_sub6 Ghz base station, the beam with thehighest data rate among the beams of the 5G_mmWave base station, and thebeam with the highest data rate among the beams of the LTE base station.

The MEC server may monitor the operating state of the TCU and determinethe current state of the TCU. For example, the MEC server may monitorthe operation state of the TCU, and determine the current state of theTUC as one of inactive, active, sleeping, and moving.

The MEC server may receive vehicle-related information (eg, vehiclelocation-related information) from the TCU and manage the vehiclelocation (eg, collect/analyze/control/record).

The MEC server may receive vehicle-related information (eg, vehiclespeed-related information) from the TCU and manage (eg,collect/analyze/control/record) vehicle speed-related information. TheMEC server manages information related to the speed of the vehicle todetermine whether the vehicle is overspeeding, whether the vehiclecomplies with a safe speed, and the like.

The MEC server may receive vehicle-related information (eg, engine ECUinformation) from the TCU and manage (eg,collect/analyze/control/record) engine ECU (Engine controlling ECU)information.

The MEC server receives vehicle-related information (eg, informationreceived from sensors and cameras mounted on the vehicle) from the TCUand manages (eg. collected/analyzed/controlled/recorded) information ofvehicle sensor and camera (Lidar, Radar, andfront/rear/measurement/cabin cameras).

As a result of analyzing vehicle sensor and camera information, if avehicle collision with pedestrians, obstacles, etc is expected, the MECserver controls the ECU (engine ECU, brake ECU, etc.) in the vehicle bytransmitting control data to the TCU based on the emergency responsescenario.

In order to distinguish control data (data based on ECU, MOST, LIN,FlexRay, etc.) and general data used for multimedia services(high-capacity real-time data such as AR/VR/video/audio) transmitted todevices (ECU, etc.) mounted on the vehicle, the MEC server may transmita message including a tag for each type of data, which to be transmittedto the TCU, to the TCU.

After checking the tag of the data included in the message received fromthe MEC server, the TCU may first store the control data used forvehicle control in the buffer of the memory. In addition, the TCU maytransmit control data from a memory to a device such as an ECUcontroller, and thereafter, high-capacity real-time data (ie, generaldata) may be transmitted after transmitting the control data.

When there is a large number of control data received from the MECserver, the TCU may transmit the control data of the highest priority tothe device mounted on the vehicle according to the priority of the tagof the control data.

The MEC server may transmit general data to the TCU so that a timeoutdoes not occur for each service of general data in consideration ofrequirements (delay time, etc.) of general data.

In addition, in consideration of the general data requirements (delaytime, etc.), the TCU can also transmit the general data received fromthe MEC server to the devices mounted on the vehicle so that a timeoutdoes not occur for each service of general data.

For reference, in the present specification, control data refers to dataincluding commands for controlling an autonomous driving-related deviceand a device controlling vehicle among devices mounted on a vehicle. Thecontrol data may include, for example, data based on communicationtechnologies such as CAN, LIN, Flexray, and MOST, and data related toterrain used for autonomous driving, such as HD-MAP.

In the present specification, general data means data to be transmittedto a device not directly related to autonomous driving among devicesmounted on a vehicle and to a terminal of a user riding in the vehicle.General data includes data related to multimedia services(AR/VR/video/audio) and other high-capacity real-time data.

As described in the background section, there is no existing method bywhich data transmission/reception between the MEC server and the TCUmounted on the vehicle can be performed quickly and efficiently.

For example, the TCU receives camera data and sensor data from at leastone camera and sensor (eg, lidar sensor, radar sensor, etc.) mounted onthe vehicle, and transmits the received camera data and received sensordata to the MEC server. The MEC server may perform object detection oncamera data and sensor data by using an autonomous driving algorithmsuch as a deep learning algorithm. In addition, the MEC server maygenerate control data for controlling the driving of the vehicle(including control commands for controlling the speed and direction ofthe vehicle) based on the object detection result. In this case, inorder to increase the accuracy of object detection, automobilemanufacturers are requesting that the TCU transmit camera data andsensor data in high resolution like raw data.

For example, a vehicle may be equipped with a plurality of autonomousdriving cameras. For example, the vehicle may be equipped with 4 frontcameras, 4 rear cameras, 2 side (left) cameras, 2 side (right) cameras,and 1 inside camera (eg, a cabin camera). In this way, when a total of13 cameras are installed in a vehicle, when all cameras transmit rawdata, an uplink speed of 19.37-37.57 Gbits/sec should be secured atleast.

In addition, when sensor data of a lidar sensor or a radar sensormounted on a vehicle is transmitted as raw data, the data rate of thesensor data may be 10 Gbits/sec or more. Sensor data used in thefollowing description is a term including at least one of sensor data ofa lidar sensor and sensor data of a radar sensor.

However, there has not been a method in which the TCU transmits cameradata or sensor data in high resolution in consideration of theimportance of the camera and sensor mounted on the vehicle, the channelstate between the TCU and the base station, or the driving state of thevehicle.

Specifically, in order for the MEC server to recognize an object using adeep learning algorithm, camera data (eg, RGB data) captured with ahigh-resolution camera is required. For example, a camera mounted on avehicle must support uncompressed camera data at a data rate of 1.49Gbits/sec to 2.89 Gbits/sec.

The disclosure of the present specification proposes a method forsolving the above-described problems.

For example, the TCU can utilize all of the LTE module, 5G module (sub 6GHz), 5G module (mmWave) and WiFi module to increase the uplinktransmission rate to over 20 Gbps.

In addition, the TCU may transmit camera data of at least one camera andsensor data of at least one sensor to the MEC server. For example,camera data and sensor data may be transmitted to a camera data analysisapp and a sensor data analysis app (including a lidar sensor dataanalysis app and a radar sensor data analysis app) stored in the memoryof the MEC server. Then, the MEC server may detect objects in the sensordata and the camera data by inputting the camera data and the sensordata to the deep learning engine using each of the camera data analysisapp and the sensor data analysis app. In addition, the MEC server mayuse the MEC sensor fusion app to generate control data for controllingthe driving of a vehicle based on objects detected from the camera dataand the sensor data, and transmit the control data to the TCU. At thistime, the MEC server may transmit control data to the TCU through theMEC network management app stored in the memory.

Here, the MEC server may extract an object from sensor data and cameradata using the MEC sensor fusion app, and recognize the location of theextracted object. For example, the MEC server may use the MEC sensorfusion app to extract features from sensor data for a front (or rear,lateral) object measured by a lidar sensor mounted on a vehicle todetermine the location of the object. In addition, the MEC server mayconvert the location of the object into coordinates on the global HD-MAPusing the MEC sensor fusion app. Then, the MEC server uses the MECsensor fusion app to extract the features of the object from the cameradata of the camera mounted on the vehicle, and then inputs the featurevalues extracted from the sensor data and the image feature valuesextracted from the camera data in artificial intelligence (eg, DNN(Deconvolutional Neural Network)) learner to classify/recognize objecttypes (eg, passenger cars, trucks, pedestrians, motorcycles, etc.). Thatis, the MEC server can use the MEC sensor fusion app to recognizeobjects and global positions of objects based on lidar sensor data andcamera data. TCU may control a target device (eg, target ECU) based oncontrol data transmitted by the MEC server and transmit the operationresult to the MEC server. The MEC server may transmit the operationresult to the MEC network management app.

The TCU may rapidly transmit camera data and sensor data to the MECserver in consideration of the priority of at least one camera and atleast one sensor mounted on the vehicle. Accordingly, the MEC server mayefficiently detect an object using the received camera data and sensordata and control the vehicle.

Hereinafter, operations of the MEC server, the TCU, and the mobilecommunication network (including the base station) according to thedisclosure of the present specification will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 9 to 16 . Hereinafter, a case in which one TCU existswill be described, but this is only an example, and operations describedin the present disclosure may be applied even when a plurality of TCUsexist.

FIG. 9 Shows an Example of Operation of a TCU According to theDisclosure of the Present Specification.

Referring to FIG. 9 , in step S901, the TCU may receive channel stateinformation for a radio channel between the TCU and the base stationfrom the base station. For reference, the TCU may transmit a pilotsignal to the base station before performing step S901. The channelstate information may be generated by the MEC server based on the pilotsignal transmitted by the TCU.

In step S902, the TCU may determine a maximum data rate available fordata transmission to the base station based on the channel stateinformation.

In step S903, the TCU may determine a data rate of at least one cameramounted on the vehicle and a data rate of at least one sensor mounted onthe vehicle. Here, the TCU may determine the data rate of the at leastone camera and the data rate of the at least one sensor based on atleast one of a priority and a maximum data rate for the at least onecamera and the at least one sensor. The at least one sensor may includeat least one radar sensor and at least one lidar sensor. Priorities forat least one camera and at least one sensor may be preset.Alternatively, the TCU may set priorities for at least one camera and atleast one sensor based on the driving speed of the vehicle. For example,when the vehicle travels at a low speed below a certain speed (eg, 30km/h), the TCU may set a low priority for a long-range sensor among atleast one sensor and set a high priority for a short-range sensor. Whenthe vehicle drives at a high speed over a certain speed (eg, 30 km/h),the TCU may set a priority of a long-distance sensor among at least onesensor to be higher than that in the case of low-speed driving.

The TCU may transmit information about the data rate of at least onecamera and the data rate of at least one sensor to the base station. Inaddition, the TCU may receive information about the data rate allocatedto the TCU by the MEC server from the base station. Here, theinformation on the data rate allocated to the TCU by the MEC server mayinclude information on the transmission beam allocated to the TCU (thatis, including at least one information among information on thetransmission beam used when the TCU performs uplink communication to thebase station or information on the receive beam used when the TCUperforms downlink communication with the base station) and informationon a data rate of each transmission beam allocated to the TCU. The TCUmay adjust the data rate of the at least one camera and the data rate ofthe at least one sensor based on the priority of the at least one cameraand the at least one sensor and the information on the data rateallocated to the TCU.

In step S904, the TCU may receive camera data from at least one cameraand receive sensor data from at least one sensor. At this time, the TCUmay receive camera data from at least one camera and sensor data from atleast one sensor based on the data rate of the at least one camera andthe data rate of the at least one sensor determined in step S903.

After step S904, the TCU may transmit camera data and sensor data to thebase station. Then, the mobile communication network including the basestation may transmit camera data and sensor data to the MEC server.

FIG. 10 Shows an Example of the Operation of the MEC Server According tothe Disclosure of the Present Specification.

Referring to FIG. 10 , in step S1001, the MEC server may receive a pilotsignal transmitted by the TCU to the base station. Specifically, the MECserver may receive a pilot signal transmitted by the TCU to the basestation from a mobile communication network including the base station.

In step S1002, the MEC server may determine the state information forthe radio channel between the TCU and the base station based on thepilot signal.

In step S1003, the MEC server may transmit state information on a radiochannel between the TCU and the base station to a mobile communicationnetwork including the base station.

The MEC server may receive information on a data rate of at least onecamera mounted on the vehicle and a data rate of at least one sensormounted on the vehicle. The MEC server may allocate a data rate to theTCU based on a sum of the data rate of the at least one camera and thedata rate of the at least one sensor. For example, the MEC server mayallocate a data rate to the TCU by performing the operations of examplesS1401 to S1405 to be described later. In addition, the MEC server maytransmit information on the data rate allocated to the TCU to the TCUthrough a mobile communication network including the base station.

In step S1004, the MEC server may receive the camera data and sensordata transmitted by the TCU. The MEC server may receive camera data andsensor data from a mobile communication network including a basestation.

In step S1005, the MEC server may generate control data for controllingthe driving of the vehicle based on the camera data and the sensor data.

The MEC server may transmit the generated control data to a mobilecommunication network including a base station. Then, the base stationreceiving the control data may transmit the control data to the TCU.

Hereinafter, specific examples of the operation of the TCU and theoperation of the MEC server described in FIGS. 9 and 10 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14 .

FIG. 11 is a Signal Flow Diagram Illustrating an Example of theOperation of the TCU, the MEC Server, and the Mobile CommunicationNetwork According to the Disclosure of the Present Specification.

Referring to FIG. 11 , in step S1101, the TCU may transmit a pilotsignal to the base station. Then, the mobile communication networkincluding the base station may transmit the pilot signal transmitted bythe TCU to the MEC server. Specifically, in order to determine the stateof the uplink channel, the TCU may broadcast a pilot signal to thechannel used by the base station using the MEC client app.

Before step S1101, the MEC server broadcasts a message requestingtransmission of a pilot signal to determine the status of uplinkchannels of all TCUs connected to the MEC server at a specific time (eg,t1). Then, in step S1101, the TCU may broadcast the pilot signal at anarbitrary time t2 existing within the random time interval (slot) T1range.

In step S1102, the MEC server may determine channel state informationfor a radio channel between the TCU and the base station based on thepilot signal. For example, the channel state may be a Channel QualityIndicator (CQI).

In step S1103, the MEC server may transmit channel state information tothe mobile communication network. Then, the base station included in themobile communication network may transmit the channel state informationto the TCU.

In step S1104, the TCU may determine a maximum data rate available fordata transmission to the base station based on the channel stateinformation. Specifically, the TCU may determine a radio channel statebetween the TCU and the base station based on the channel stateinformation, and determine a data rate for each beam of a plurality oftransceivers of the TCU based on the channel state information.

For example, the TCU may determine a data rate group for each beam of aplurality of transceivers as shown in the table below.

TABLE 1 R(t) = { R_(i,1,1)(t), R_(i,1,2)(t), R_(i,j,k)R(t), . . . ,R_(i,i,U)(t), R_(i,2,1)(t), R_(i,2,2)(t), R_(i,j,k)R(t), . . . ,R_(i,2,X)(t), R_(i,3,1)(t), R_(i,3,2)(t), R_(i,j,k)R(t), . . . ,R_(i,3,Y)(t), R_(i,4,1)(t), R_(i,4,2)(t), R_(i,j,k)R(t), . . . ,R_(i,4,Z)(t)}

t may be a time point at which the TCU determines the data rate. Here, imay be an index indicating the TCU, j may be an index indicating thetype of transceiver, and k may be an index indicating the order ofantennas in each transceiver.

For example, the example of j is as follows.

-   -   j=1: 5G transceiver (mmWave)    -   j=2: 5G transceiver (sub6 Ghz)    -   j=3: LTE transceiver    -   j=4: WiFi transceiver

k may exist for each transceiver as much as the maximum number of beamsof the corresponding transceiver. For example, when the maximum numberof beams of the 5G transceiver (mmWave) is U, when j=1, k may k=1˜U.When the maximum number of beams of the 5G transceiver (sub6 Ghz) is X,when j=2, k may be k=1 to X. When the maximum number of beams of the LTEtransceiver is Y, when j=3, k may be k=1 to Y. When the maximum numberof beams of the WiFi transceiver is Z, when j=4, k may be k=1 to Z.

In step S1105, the TCU may determine a data rate of at least one cameramounted on the vehicle and a data rate of at least one sensor mounted onthe vehicle.

In step S1106, the TCU may receive camera data from at least one cameramounted on the vehicle, and may receive sensor data from at least onesensor mounted on the vehicle.

In step S1107, the TCU may transmit camera data and sensor data to thebase station. Then, the mobile communication network including the basestation may transmit camera data and sensor data to the MEC server.

The TCU may receive information about the data rate allocated to the TCUfrom the MEC server. Here, the information on the data rate allocated tothe TCU may include information on the transmission beam allocated tothe TCU and information on the data rate of each transmission beamallocated to the TCU. The TCU may transmit camera data and sensor datausing a transmission beam allocated to the TCU.

The TCU combines at least one beam of the 5G transceiver (mmWave), atleast one beam of the 5G transceiver (sub6 Ghz), at least one beam ofthe LTE transceiver, and at least one beam of the WiFi transceiver totransmit camera data and sensor data to the base station.

For reference, at this time, the MEC server transmits a request messageto the TCU to control the upload speed of the data stream of camera dataand sensor data (sensor data of the lidar sensor, sensor data of theradar sensor) based on the reception buffer size of the MEC server.

In step S1108, the MEC server may generate control data for controllingthe driving of the vehicle based on the camera data and the sensor data.

Specifically, the MEC server may transmit the received sensor data andcamera data to the camera data analysis app, the lidar sensor dataanalysis app, and the radar sensor data analysis app stored in thememory of the MEC server.

Then, the camera data analysis app can extract the object informationfrom the camera data by inputting the camera data of each camera intothe deep learning analysis engine. In addition, the MEC serverlidar/radar sensor data analysis app may input the sensor data of eachsensor into the deep learning analysis engine to extract objectinformation from the sensor data.

The MEC server may input object information extracted from camera dataand object information extracted from sensor data into the MEC sensorfusion app, and the MEC server may generate control data for controllingthe vehicle using the MEC sensor fusion app. The control data mayinclude, for example, a command for preventing a vehicle collision or acommand for controlling the speed of the vehicle, etc. The MEC servermay transmit the control data to the TCU by selecting at least onetransmission beam in the order of the highest transmission rate among atleast one transmit beam of a first 5G base station (sub6 Ghz) connectedto the MEC server, at least one transmit beam of a second 5G basestation (mmWave), at least one transmit beam of an LTE base station, andat least one transmit beam of a WiFi base station.

In step S1109, the MEC server may transmit control data to the mobilecommunication network. Then, the base station included in the mobilecommunication network may transmit the control data to the TCU.

In step S1110, the TCU may transmit control data to at least one devicemounted on the vehicle.

The TCU may generate a CAN frame based on the control data, and maydescribe an arbitration value in each CAN frame according to a priorityvalue included in the control data. And, the TCU may describe theControl Bit corresponding to the control operation in the control datain the CAN frame. The TCU can transmit the CAN frame to the targetdevice (eg engine ECU, brake ECU, HVAC ECU, RPM ECU, etc.).

After the target device receives the CAN frame, when the target devicecompletes an operation according to the CAN frame, the target device maytransmit an ACK to the CAN controller (eg, DCU). Then, the CANcontroller transmits an ACK to the TCU, and the TCU may transmit to theMEC server a message (SUCCESS) indicating that the operation of thetarget device according to the control data has been successfullyperformed to the MEC server.

FIGS. 12 a and 12 b are Flowcharts Illustrating an Example of S1105 ofFIG. 11 .

FIGS. 12 a and 12 b show an example of S1105 of FIG. 11 . In step S1201,the TCU may obtain information on the current data rate from at leastone camera and at least one sensor mounted on the vehicle. The currentdata rate may mean a data rate used by each of the at least one cameraand the at least one sensor for transmitting camera data or sensor dataat a time when the TCU acquires information from the at least one cameraand the at least one sensor. The TCU may also acquire information on amaximum data rate supportable by at least one camera and a maximum datarate supportable by at least one sensor.

In addition, the TCU may request a table related to the data rate ofeach of lidar sensor, the radar sensor, and the camera from the cameracontroller that controls the camera mounted on the vehicle from lidarsensor controller that controls the vehicle-mounted lidar sensor, theradar sensor controller that controls the vehicle-mounted radar sensor,and the camera controller that controls the vehicle-mounted camera. Forexample, the TCU may request and obtain a table such as the example ofFIG. 13 a from the lidar sensor controller, the radar sensor controller,and the camera controller. The table related to the data rate of thelidar sensor, the radar sensor, and the camera may include informationabout the maximum data rate of each of the lidar sensor, the radarsensor, and the camera, and information about the data according to thecategory corresponding to the sampling rate supported by each of thelidar sensor, the radar sensor, and the camera. The table related to thedata rate of the lidar sensor, the radar sensor and the camera mayinclude values of the ability of the TCU to lower the data rate when itneeds to lower the data rate of the lidar sensor, the radar sensor andthe camera.

In step S1202, the TCU may determine the sum of the current data ratesof the at least one camera and the at least one sensor. For example, theTCU may determine the sum of the current data rates of the at least onecamera and the at least one sensor based on the equation below.Ti(t)=Σ_(l=1) ^(l=l_max) Li,1(t)+Σ_(m=1) ^(m=m_max) Rdi,m(t)+Σ_(n=1)^(n=n_max) Ci,n(t)  [Equation 1]

Here, L_(i,1)(t) is the current (time t) data rate of the 1-th LiDARsensor connected to TCU-i (the TCU whose index is i). 1_max means thenumber of lidar sensors installed in the vehicle. Rdi,m(t) is thecurrent data rate of the m-th radar sensor connected to the TCU-i. m_maxmeans the number of radar sensors installed in the vehicle. C_(i,n)(t)is the current data rate of the nth camera connected to TCU-i. n_maxmeans the number of cameras mounted on the vehicle. T_(i)(t) is the sumof the current data rates of all sensors and cameras connected to theTCU.

In step S1203, the TCU may determine whether a sum of the current datarates of the at least one camera and the at least one sensor is greaterthan a maximum data rate available for data transmission to the basestation. For example, the TCU may determine whether the followingequation is satisfied.T _(i)(t)>SUM(R(t))  [Equation 2]

Here, T_(i)(t) is T_(i)(t) of Equation 1. SUM(R(t)) means the sum of allelements of R(t) in Table 1.

When Equation 2 is satisfied, the TCU may perform step S1204. WhenEquation 2 is not satisfied (ie, T_(i)(t) is equal to or less thanSUM(R(t))), the TCU may perform step S1205.

In step S1204, the TCU may determine the data rate of the at least onecamera and the data rate of the at least one sensor based on thepriority of the at least one camera, the priority of the at least onesensor and the maximum data rate available for data transmission to thebase station.

Step S1204 will be described in detail with reference to the example ofFIG. 13 a.

FIG. 13 a is an Example of a Table Showing Data Rates According toPriorities, Categories, and Categories of Cameras and Sensors Mounted ona Vehicle.

FIG. 13 a is an example of a table related to data rates of the lidarsensor, the radar sensor, and the camera described in step S1201.Although 3 cameras, 2 lidar sensors, and 2 radar sensors are shown inthe drawing, this is only an example, and the number of cameras, lidarsensors, and radar sensors may be different from the examples shown inthe drawings.

The figure shows priorities from 1 to 7. In FIG. 13 a , the prioritiesare set from 1 to 7 for entire of the camera, the lidar sensor, and theradar sensor, but this is only an example, and separate priorities maybe set for each device. For example, priorities 1 to 3 may be set forcameras 1 to 3, and priorities 1 to 2 may be set for lidar sensors 1 to2, respectively.

The figure shows a category for each device. Here, the category maycorrespond to a sampling rate that can be set by each device. Forexample, category 4 may correspond to a maximum sampling rate supportedby a corresponding device, and category 1 may correspond to a minimumsampling rate supported by a corresponding device. Although only fourcategories are shown in the drawing, this is only an example, and thenumber of categories may be less than four or more than four. Also, thenumber of categories may be different for each device.

Priorities for at least one camera and at least one sensor may bepreset. Alternatively, the TCU may set priorities for at least onecamera and at least one sensor based on the driving speed of thevehicle.

For example, lidar sensor 1 may be a short-range lidar sensor mounted onthe front of the vehicle, and lidar sensor 2 may be a long-range lidarsensor mounted on the front of the vehicle. If the vehicle is driving ata low speed below a certain speed (eg 30 km/h), the sensor data of thelong-distance sensor may become less important, so the TCU may set thepriority of the long-range sensor (eg lidar sensor 2) as low priority(set to 7), and the TCU may set the priority of the short-range sensor(eg, lidar sensor 1) as high priority (set to 1). If the vehicle isdriving at high speed over a certain speed (eg 30 km/h), the TCU may setthe priority of the long-distance sensor (eg lidar sensor 2) higher (setto 3) than in the case of low speed driving.

According to the example of FIG. 13 a , in the case of camera 2, whendata is transmitted at the maximum sampling rate (category 4), the datarate may be 2.89 Gbps, and when data is transmitted at the sampling rateof category 3, the data rate may be 1.49 Gbps, when data is transmittedat the sampling rate of category 2, the data rate may be 100 Mbps, andwhen data is transmitted at the sampling rate of category 1, the datarate may be 10 Mbps.

The TCU may determine the data rate of the camera, lidar sensor, andradar sensor based on the priority of the camera, lidar sensor, andradar sensor and the maximum data rate available for data transmissionto the base station.

For example, the TCU may determine a plurality of category combinationsof each device in the order of priority so that a category of a devicehaving a high priority is set to be higher than a category of a devicehaving a low priority. Then, the TCU may calculate the sum of data ratesaccording to the category combination of each device, and determinewhether the calculated sum is less than or equal to the maximum datarate available for data transmission to the base station. And, the TCUmay determine the data rate of the at least one camera and the data rateof the at least one sensor based on the category combination of eachdevice that is less than or equal to the maximum data rate available.

Specifically, when the available maximum data rate is 9 Gbps, the TCUmay determine a category for each priority as shown in FIG. 13 a .Referring to FIG. 13 a , it can be seen that a category of a devicehaving a high priority is higher than a category of a device having alow priority. The sum of the data rates of the category combinationaccording to the example of FIG. 13 a is 5 Gbps+1 Gbps+1.49 Gbps+100Mbps+1 Gbps+10 Mbps+1 Mbps=8.601 Gbps, so the sum of the data rates isless than the maximum available data rate of 9 Gbps.

Alternatively, a combination of categories for each priority of a cameraand a sensor may be predetermined and stored in the TCU according to avalue of the available maximum data rate. For example, a categorycombination of each device according to each priority is predeterminedaccording to the interval of the value of the maximum data rate andstored in the TCU, and when the TCU determines the value of the maximumdata rate, the TCU may select and use the category combinationcorresponding to the value of the determined maximum data rate. Forexample, when the maximum available data rate is 35.88 Gbps or higher,the TCU may use a combination in which category 4 is selected for alldevices of FIG. 13 a from among the combinations of stored categories.

Referring back to FIGS. 12 a and 12 b , in step S1205, the TCU maytransmit information on a data rate of at least one camera and a datarate of at least one sensor. Here, the information on the data rate ofthe at least one camera and the data rate of the at least one sensor mayinclude the sum of the data rates(eg, expressed as sum of data ratesr_(i)(t) to be uploaded by TCU) of the at least one camera and the atleast one sensor. Here, the sum of the data rates of the at least onecamera and the at least one sensor is i) the sum of the data ratesdetermined according to the step S1204 when the step S1204 is performed,and is ii) the sum of the data rates determined according to step S1202,when the step S1204 is not performed.

For reference, before step S1205 is performed, the TCU may receive amessage requesting information about the data rate of at least onecamera and the data rate of at least one sensor from the MEC server.Then, upon receiving the request message, the TCU may perform stepS1205.

In step S1206, the TCU may receive information about the data rateallocated to the TCU by the MEC server. When the MEC server transmitsinformation on the data rate allocated to the TCU to the mobilecommunication network, the base station may transmit information on thedata rate allocated to the TCU to the TCU. Here, the information on thedata rate allocated to the TCU by the MEC server may include informationon the transmission beam allocated to the TCU (that is, including atleast one information between information on the transmission beam usedwhen the TCU performs uplink communication to the base station orinformation on the reception beam used when the TCU performs downlinkcommunication with the base station) and information on a data rate ofeach transmission beam allocated to the TCU.

In step S1207, the TCU may determine whether the sum of the data ratesof the at least one camera and the at least one sensor is greater thanthe data rate allocated to the TCU. Here, the sum of the data rates ofthe at least one camera and the at least one sensor is i) the sum of thedata rates determined according to the step S1204 when the step S1204 isperformed, and is ii) the sum of the data rates determined according tostep S1202, when the step S1204 is not performed.

If the sum of the data rates of the at least one camera and the at leastone sensor is greater than the data rate allocated to the TCU, the TCUmay perform step S1208. When the sum of the data rates of the at leastone camera and the at least one sensor is equal to or less than the datarate allocated to the TCU, the TCU may perform step S1106.

In step S1208, the TCU may adjust the data rate of the at least onecamera and the data rate of the at least one sensor.

A specific example of step S1208 will be described with reference toFIG. 13 b.

FIG. 13 b is an Example in which the TCU Adjusts the Data Rate of theTable of FIG. 13 a According to S1208 of FIG. 12 b.

The TCU may determine the category and data rate set in each device asshown in FIG. 13 a according to step S1204 or S1202. If, as a result ofperforming step S1207, the TCU determines that the sum of the data ratesof the at least one camera and the at least one sensor is greater thanthe data rate assigned to the TCU, it is necessary for the TCU to reducethe sum of data rates of at least one camera and at least one sensor.

Specifically, the TCU may adjust the data rate of at least one cameraand the data rate of at least one sensor in the same manner as in stepS1204 described above with reference to the example of FIG. 13 a . Forreference, the TCU may use the data rate allocated to the TCU in stepS1208 for the same purpose as the maximum data rate available for datatransmission to the base station in step S1204.

For example, the TCU may adjust the data rate of the camera, the lidarsensor, and the radar sensor based on the priority of the camera, thelidar sensor, and the radar sensor and the data rate allocated to theTCU. The TCU may determine a plurality of category combinations of eachdevice in order of priority so that a category of a device having a highpriority is set to be higher than a category of a device having a lowpriority. Then, the TCU may calculate the sum of data rates according tothe category combination of each device, and determine whether thecalculated sum is equal to or less than the data rate allocated to theTCU. In addition, the TCU may adjust the data rate of at least onecamera and the data rate of at least one sensor based on the categorycombination of each device that is equal to or less than the data rateallocated to the TCU.

For example, when the data rate allocated to the TCU is 1.3 Gbps, theTCU may adjust the data rate of at least one camera and the data rate ofat least one sensor by determining a category combination as shown inthe example of FIG. 13 b . When the data rates of the categorycombination according to the example of FIG. 13 b are summed, it can beseen that 500 Mbps+500 Mbps+100 Mbps+10 Mbps+100 Mbps+10 Mbps+1Mbps=1.221 Gbps, which is less than 1.3 Gbps.

Alternatively, the TCU may use a combination of categories stored in theTCU described in step S1204. The TCU may select a category combinationcorresponding to the data rate assigned to the TCU from among the storedcategory combinations.

Alternatively, the TCU may lower the category of all devices by one stepin step S1208 and determine whether the sum of data rates according tothe category combination lowered by one step is smaller than the datarate allocated to the TCU. If the sum of the data rates according to thecategory combination lowered by one step is less than the data rateallocated to the TCU, the TCU may receive camera data and sensor datafrom at least one camera and at least one sensor based on the loweredcategory combination. When the sum of data rates according to thecategory combination lowered by one step is equal to or greater than thedata rate allocated to the TCU, the TCU may lower the categories of alldevices by one step again. Alternatively, the TCU may determine acategory combination in which the sum of data rates according to thecategory combination lowered by one step is smaller than the data rateallocated to the TCU while lowering by one step from a category of adevice having a lower priority.

FIG. 14 is a Flowchart Illustrating an Example of an Operation Performedby the MEC Server after Performing S1103 of FIG. 11 .

Referring to FIG. 14 , in step S1401, the MEC server may determine theavailable data rate for a combination of a plurality of receive beams ofthe base station and a plurality of transmit beams of the TCU based onstate information on a radio channel between the TCU and the basestation.

When the MEC server is connected to a plurality of TCUs, the MEC servermay determine data rate group G_R(t)={R_(1,1,1)(t), . . . ,R_(i,j,k)(t), . . . R_(i_max,j_max,k_max)(t)} for each beam in the samemanner as in the example of Table 1 based on the state information onthe radio channel between the TCU and the base station. Here, i_max maybe the maximum value of the TCU index, j_max may be the number of typesof transceivers of TCU-i_max, and k_max may be the number oftransmission beams of the transceiver corresponding to j_max among thetransceivers of TCU-i_max.

In step S1402, the MEC server may receive information about the datarate of at least one camera and the data rate of at least one sensorfrom the TCU. The MEC server may receive information about the data rateof at least one camera and the data rate of at least one sensortransmitted by the TCU in step S1205.

Before performing step 1402, the MEC server may transmit a messagerequesting information about the data rate of at least one camera andthe data rate of at least one sensor to the TCU. The MEC server maytransmit a request message in a unicast manner.

When the MEC server is connected to a plurality of TCUs, the MEC servermay receive information about a data rate of at least one camera and adata rate of at least one sensor from each of the plurality of TCUs. TheMEC server may store the r_(i)(t) transmitted by the TCU-I by putting itin the group G_(r)(t)={r₁(t), . . . , r_(i_max)(t)}. Here, i_max may bethe maximum value of the index of the TCU controlled by the MEC server.

In step S1403, when the MEC server controls a plurality of TCUs, foreach of the plurality of TCUs, based on a delay requirement, the MECserver may determine the remaining time before a timeout occurs d2. Forexample, when the delay requirement of TCU-2 is 5 ms, and 2 ms haselapsed, the MEC server may determine d2 of TCU-2 to be 3 ms.

The MEC server may configure the group of TCU-i, X={TCU-1, TCU-2, . . ., TCU-i_max}, and generate Y={ }, which is a group to store the selectedTCU-i*. Then, the MEC server may configure a group of beamsB={B_(1,1,1)(t), . . . , B_(i,j,k)(t), . . . B_(i_max,j_max,k_max)(t)}corresponding to each of G_R(t)={R_(1,1,1)(t), . . . , R_(i,j,k)(t), . .. R_(i_max,j_max,k_max)(t)} of step S1401 and generate Y(t)={ }, whichis a group to store the allocated beam.

For reference, step S1403 may be omitted when there is only one TCUconnected to the MEC server.

In step S1404, the MEC server may allocate data rates to the TCUs in theorder of r_(i)(t)/d2 being greater.

The MEC server may select TCUs as TCU-i* in the order of r_(i)(t)/d2,add them to Y={TCU-i*}, and delete TCU-i* from X. In order for the sumof the selected at least one R_(i,j,k)(t) to be greater than r_(i)(t),the MEC server may select at least one of R_(i,j,k)(t) related to TCU-i*in G_R(t). Then, the MEC server may store the beam B_(i,j,k)(t)corresponding to the selected at least one R_(i,j,k)(t) in Y(t).

For example, the MEC server may select at least one R_(i,j,k)(t) fromthe data rate having a small data rate value among R_(i,j,k)(t) relatedto TCU-i* in G_R(t). In this case, by bundling beams of low data rateand using them for uplink transmission, the best beam may be reservedfor communication with very high importance.

In step S1405, the MEC server may transmit information about the datarate allocated to the TCU. Here, the information on the data rateallocated to the TCU by the MEC server may include information on thetransmission beam allocated to the TCU (that is, information on at leastone beam B_(i,j,k)(t) included in Y(t)) and information about data rateof each of transmission beam allocated to the TCU (that is, informationabout the data rate R_(i,j,k)(t)corresponding to at least one beamB_(i,j,k)(t) included in Y(t)).

According to the content described in the disclosure of the presentspecification, the TCU may transmit camera data and sensor data to theMEC server at a data rate of 20 Gbps or more.

According to the disclosure of the present specification, due to theincrease in the uplink transmission capability of the TCU, the MECserver may increase the accuracy of object detection by usinghigh-resolution camera data and sensor data.

According to the disclosure of the present specification, the TCU maytransmit camera data or sensor data in high resolution in considerationof the importance of the camera and sensor mounted on the vehicle, thechannel state between the TCU and the base station, or the driving stateof the vehicle.

According to the content described in the disclosure of the presentspecification, the MEC server performs a function of fusing informationanalyzed from camera data and information analyzed from sensor data toremotely control the vehicle, thereby there is no need to install anauto driving system computer (ADSC) inside the vehicle. Accordingly, itis possible to lower the manufacturing cost of the autonomous vehicle.

FIG. 15 is a Configuration Block Diagram of an MEC Server and a TCUAccording to an Embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 15 , the MEC server 610 and the TCU 100 may include amemory, a processor, and a transceiver, respectively.

The illustrated processor, memory, and transceiver may each beimplemented as separate chips, or at least two or more blocks/functionsmay be implemented through one chip.

The transceiver includes a transmitter and a receiver. When a specificoperation is performed, only one operation of the transmitter and thereceiver may be performed, or both the operation of the transmitter andthe receiver may be performed. The transceiver may include one or moreantennas for transmitting and/or receiving radio signals. In addition,the transceiver may include an amplifier for amplifying a receivedsignal and/or a transmission signal and a bandpass filter fortransmitting on a specific frequency band.

As described above, the transceiver of the TCU includes a first 5Gtransceiver (ie, a modem/antenna using sub 6 GHz), a second 5Gtransceiver (ie, a modem/antenna using mmWave), an LTE transceiver (ie,modem/antenna using LTE).

The processor may implement the functions, processes and/or methodsproposed in this specification. The processor may include an encoder anda decoder. For example, the processor may perform an operation accordingto the above description. Such processors may includeapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), other chipsets, logiccircuits, data processing devices, and/or converters that convertbetween baseband signals and radio signals.

Memory may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM),flash memory, memory cards, storage media, and/or other storage devices.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating in detail the configuration of aTCU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The illustrated TCU 100 includes a transceiver 110, a processor 120, amemory 130, one or more antennas, and a subscriber identification module(SIM) card.

The illustrated TCU 100 may further include a speaker 161 and amicrophone 162 as necessary.

The illustrated TCU 100 may further include a display 151 and an inputunit 152 as necessary.

The processor 120 may be configured to implement the proposed functions,procedures and/or methods described herein. The layers of the radiointerface protocol may be implemented in the processor 120. Theprocessor 120 may include an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC), other chipsets, logic circuits, and/or data processing devices.The processor 102 may be an application processor (AP). The processor120 may include at least one of a digital signal processor (DSP), acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and amodem (modulator and demodulator). Examples of processor 120 may beSNAPDRAGON™ series processors manufactured by Qualcomm®, EXYNOS™ seriesprocessors manufactured by Samsung®, A series processors manufactured byApple®, HELIO™ series processors manufactured by MediaTek®, INTEL® Itmay be an ATOM™ series processor manufactured by the company or acorresponding next-generation processor.

The display 151 outputs the result processed by the processor 120. Inputunit 152 receives input to be used by processor 120. The input unit 152may be displayed on the display 151. A SIM card is an integrated circuitused to securely store an international mobile subscriber identity(IMSI) and its associated keys used to identify and authenticatesubscribers in mobile phone devices such as mobile phones and computers.The SIM card may not be physically implemented, but may be implementedas a computer program and stored in the memory.

The memory 130 is operatively coupled to the processor 120 and storesvarious information for operating the processor 120. Memory 130 mayinclude read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flashmemory, memory cards, storage media, and/or other storage devices. Whenthe embodiment is implemented in software, the techniques described inthis specification may be implemented in modules (eg, procedures,functions, etc.) that perform the functions described in thisspecification. Modules may be stored in memory 130 and executed byprocessor 120. The memory 130 may be implemented inside the processor120. Alternatively, the memory 130 may be implemented outside theprocessor 120, and may be communicatively connected to the processor 120through various means known in the art.

The transceiver 110 is operatively coupled to the processor 120 andtransmits and/or receives a radio signal. The transceiver 110 includes atransmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 110 may include a basebandcircuit for processing a radio frequency signal. The transceivercontrols one or more antennas to transmit and/or receive radio signals.

The speaker 161 outputs sound related results processed by the processor120. Microphone 162 receives sound related input to be used by processor120.

In the above, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have beenexemplarily described, but the scope of the present disclosure is notlimited only to such specific embodiments, and thus the presentdisclosure may be modified, changed, or improved in various forms withinthe spirit of the present disclosure and the scope described in theclaims.

In the exemplary system described above, the methods are described onthe basis of a flowchart as a series of steps or blocks, but the presentdisclosure is not limited to the order of steps, and some steps mayoccur in a different order or concurrently with other steps as describedabove. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that thesteps shown in the flowchart are not exhaustive and that other steps maybe included or that one or more steps in the flowchart may be deletedwithout affecting the scope of the present disclosure.

The claims described herein may be combined in various ways. Forexample, the technical features of the method claims of the presentspecification may be combined and implemented as an apparatus, and thetechnical features of the apparatus claims of the present specificationmay be combined and implemented as a method. In addition, the technicalfeatures of the method claim of the present specification and thetechnical features of the apparatus claim may be combined to beimplemented as an apparatus, and the technical features of the methodclaim of the present specification and the technical features of theapparatus claim may be combined and implemented as a method.

What is claimed is:
 1. A Telematics Communication Unit (TCU) configuredto be mounted on a vehicle, the TCU comprising: a plurality oftransceivers including one or more antennas; and a processor forcontrolling the plurality of transceivers, wherein the processor isconfigured to perform operations that include: controlling the pluralityof transceivers to receive, from a base station, channel stateinformation on a radio channel between the TCU and the base station;determining a maximum data rate available for data transmission to thebase station based on the received channel state information;determining a data rate of at least one camera mounted on the vehicleand a data rate of at least one sensor mounted on the vehicle; whereinthe data rate of the at least one camera and the data rate of the atleast one sensor are determined based on the determined maximum datarate and priorities for the at least one camera and the at least onesensor; and controlling the plurality of transceivers to receive cameradata from the at least one camera based on the data rate of the at leastone camera, and to receive sensor data from the at least one sensorbased on the data rate of the at least one sensor.
 2. The TCU of claim1, wherein the operations further include: transmitting the receivedcamera data and the received sensor data to the base station bycontrolling the plurality of transceivers.
 3. The TCU of claim 2,wherein the operations further include: controlling the plurality oftransceivers to transmit information on the data rate of the at leastone camera and the data rate of the at least one sensor to the basestation.
 4. The TCU of claim 3, wherein the operations further include:controlling the plurality of transceivers to receive, from the basestation, information on the data rate allocated to the TCU by amulti-access edge computing (MEC) server.
 5. The TCU of claim 4, whereinthe operations further include: adjusting the data rate of the at leastone camera and the data rate of the at least one sensor based on theinformation on the data rate allocated to the TCU and the priority ofthe at least one camera and the at least one sensor.
 6. The TCU of claim1, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one RADAR sensorand at least one LIDAR sensor.
 7. The TCU of claim 1, wherein theoperations further include: setting priorities for the at least onecamera and the at least one sensor based on the driving speed of thevehicle.
 8. The TCU of claim 1, wherein the operations further include:controlling the plurality of transceivers to transmit a pilot signal tothe base station, wherein the received channel state information isgenerated by a Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) server based on thepilot signal.
 9. The TCU of claim 1, wherein at least one of a DomainControl Unit (DCU), an Electronic Control Unit (ECU), a LocalInterconnect Network (LIN) Master, a LIN Slave, a Media Oriented SystemTransport (MOST) Master, a MOST Slave, an Ethernet Switch, a RadarSensor, a LiDAR Sensor, a Camera, a TCU equipped with at least one ofAudio, Video, Navigation (AVN), or a Rear Side Entertainment (RSE) areequipped in the vehicle.
 10. The TCU of claim 1, wherein the pluralityof transceivers includes a long term evolution (LTE) transceiver, a 5Gtransceiver, and a Wi-Fi transceiver.
 11. A server that controls a TCU(Telematics Communication Unit) Telematics Communication Unit (TCU)configured to be mounted on a vehicle in a next-generation mobilecommunication system, the server comprising: a transceiver; and aprocessor for controlling the transceiver, wherein the processor isconfigured to perform operations that include: receiving, by the TCU, apilot signal transmitted to a base station from a mobile communicationnetwork including the base station; determining state information on aradio channel between the TCU and the base station based on the receivedpilot signal; transmitting the determined state information on the radiochannel to the mobile communication network including the base station;receiving camera data and sensor data transmitted by the TCU from themobile communication network including the base station; generatingcontrol data for controlling driving of the vehicle based on the cameradata and the sensor data; and receiving information on a data rate of atleast one camera mounted on the vehicle and a data rate of at least onesensor mounted on the vehicle.
 12. The server of claim 11, wherein theoperations further include: allocating a data rate to the TCU based onthe sum of the data rate of the at least one camera and the data rate ofthe at least one sensor.
 13. The server of claim 12, wherein theoperations further include: controlling the transceiver to transmitinformation on the data rate allocated to the TCU to the TCU through themobile communication network including the base station.